Schiphol flights resume after 45 minute shutdown
Schiphol announced that air traffic will gradually restart from around noon after all flights were suspended for 45 minutes due to hurricane strength winds.
Arrivals at Schiphol were expected to resume at 12:10 p.m., Eurocontrol said citing the strong winds. Arriving flights were put in a holding pattern beginning at 11:20 a.m. “Very high delays all afternoon”, the European air traffic control monitor stated.
On Schiphol's website all but two arrivals that were scheduled to land before 4:00 p.m., and that haven't been canceled, show delays running up to three hours, with several delayed even longer. The majority of departures are also delayed. A total of 164 departures are canceled, and 155 arrivals. Travelers are advised to check the Schiphol app or website, or with their airline, for up-to-date flight information.
Even before the massive western storm hit the Netherlands on Thursday morning, Schiphol already reported over 260 flight cancelations. Departure halls 1 and 2 also had to be evacuated due to falling pieces of ceiling. The entrances to those halls are closed. Travelers can use the entrance to departure hall 3, the airport said on Twitter. A Schiphol employee told NOS that three people were hurt.
The stormy weather also affected the smaller airports in the country. Six flights scheduled to land at the Netherlands second largest airport, located in Eindhoven, were diverted on Thursday. Another 11 arrivals were delayed while one was outright canceled. Six departures were canceled and 16 others were delayed.
Rotterdam The Hague Airport reported two cancelled departures and two more that were delayed. One arrival was canceled, while three arriving flights were delayed.
Maastricht Aachen airport reports one delayed arrival, and one departure delay. Groningen Airport is still managing to run all its flights on schedule, with no delays or cancelations reported.
A code red weather alert is still in effect for the central part of the Netherlands. A code orange is in effect for the northern and southern provinces.
